Phoebus Crushes Norview 75-47

HAMPTON — If you're the Salem High girls' basketball team, the good news is that you've qualified for the state tournament, and the bad news is that you have to play Phoebus first.

Phoebus rolled over Norview, 75-47 in the semifinals of the Group AAA Eastern Region tournament Friday night at Hampton High.

With the victory, the Lady Phantoms advance to the regional final tonight at Norfolk State. In addition, Phoebus (24-2) earned a spot in next week's state tournament in Williamsburg.

Phoebus' 17th straight victory eliminates perhaps the only team with a decent shot at beating the Lady Phantoms in the region, Norview (19-3), from post-season play.

"We lost our patience and control with things," Norview Coach Don Lyons said. "They are a great team - so big and so strong."

It was a good thing Phoebus Coach Mike Tallon ran his team up and down the floor against the Phoebus junior varsity boys' team in practice, because there was much banging in the paint.

Phoebus' post players, senior Monica Hart and freshman LaKeshia Frett, withstood a lot of muscle from the Pilots' Helen Holloway and Lalita Platt and outplayed them most of the game.

Hart finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Frett contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, missing only once from the floor.

"She was unconscious," Tallon said. "She's only a freshman in grade and age, not as a player."

Lyons agreed: "Frett is just incredible. It's incredible how strong she is. She could step right in and play Division I now."

Holloway, who will be playing Division I next year at Penn State next year, threw in 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in her final high school performance.

Most of the points came, however, when Norview was already far behind, which was as early as the first quarter.

Norview took its only lead on the game's first basket. Thereafter, Phoebus went on a 18-2 run and held Norview to four first-quarter points.

Much of the subsequent three quarters was spent on the foul line. There were 42 fouls, 29 on Norview.

"That's probably one of the best efforts I've seen a Phoebus team give in 13 years. It was a pounding type of game. The girls came to play. They surprised me with their tenacity."

With both teams' post players battling, the intrusion of Phoebus' Keshia Reese into the paint was too much size for Norview to handle. Reese came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points while grabbing nine rebounds.

"I would find it very hard for anyone else to beat them," Lyons said. "They've got so many angles."

Salem (24-3) is next on Phoebus' list. The Sun Devils advanced by way of a 64-50 semifinal victory over Great Bridge.

Salem's Erin Addesso led all scorers with 23 points, including 10 in the Sun Devils' 23-10 fourth quarter.